One year ago today, my cousin's little (then) 4 year old, Charlie, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a pediatric cancer. Since that time, he has been through 2 surgeries (the first was 19 hours and involved the removal of a kidney) 5 rounds of chemo, 12 sessions of radiation and a stem cell transplant which nearly took his life as he suffered heart failure in the process. On May 16, reports came in that the scans were clear and Charlie is cancer free! Praise God! However, he still has some maintenance to do and then regular scans to make sure it stays clear. The prayer would be that there is no recurrence, as neuroblastoma has a fairly high recurrence rate.

If you want to read something which will encourage and inspire you, you can check out their Caring Bridge at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/charliedina" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; or on facebook at Charlie's Angels 413 (for Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.") They appreciate prayers and words of encouragement posted in either place!

Through all of this, my cousin and her husband have formed the Charles M Dina Foundation, a non profit to help raise funds for research on pediatric cancer. Our family has a lot to be grateful for this past year.

This is great news and we'll be praying for little Charlie and his family. We had friends who lost a 6 year old daughter to neuroblastoma after a 22 month battle. She was like a granddaughter to Martha and I. I can only imagine how your family feels getting this excellent news.

Folks, we do need to pray for this little guy. Neuroblastoma has a very high recurrence rate and fighting it a second time is difficult. Father, we pray that you heal Charlie and use this to Your glory and to bring others to You. Many know how devastating this disease is and how few survive, and Your healing of him will open the eyes of many. Amen.